This Mama Cooks! On a Diet™

Cooking with Coca-Cola®– Coca Cola Carne Asada Marinade

2012-05-16T23:29:35Z

In a little more than a week, my family and I leave Colorado to go to the heart of Coca-Cola country – Georgia. It’s where people pronounce Coke “Co’Cola” and they ask you if you want a Coke when they really mean if you want a drink. When we were out in Athens house hunting, our real estate agent, Alicia, would treat us to mini glass bottles of Diet Coke. She said they traditionally kept glass bottles on hand because the agency’s founder liked them. The kids loved it and I thought it was charming.

Well, this spring (until May 31) Coca-Cola wants to help gather your family around the dinner table with Coke with Meals through My Coke Rewards. The site features recipes and how-to videos from Chefs G. Garvin and Ingrid Hoffmann. You can also submit your own recipes to inspire others. You can check it out at MyCokeRewards.com/meals, where you can also create a shareable cookbook of your family’s all-time favorites, and read and share how to get kids, pre-teens and teens involved in the kitchen.

Eating healthy with Coca-Cola

While MyCokeRewards.com/meals does feature Southern classics like Georgia Drop Biscuits and BBQ Pork and Beans with Coca-Cola® BBQ Sauce, there are healthy choices too like Shrimp and Scallop Easy Paella and Asparagus Soup. Yes, some recipes contain Coca-Cola as an ingredient, like Coca-Cola Rice or Pork Loin with Coca-Cola® BBQ Sauce. However, many are just meant to be paired with an ice cold Coke (or in my case an ice cold Coke Zero) like Lime Chicken with Quick Avocado Salsa.

Cooking with Coca-Cola Southern (California) style

While I may be moving to the South, my culinary heart is actually back in Southern California much of the time as I love Baja style. One thing we’ll be bringing with me are two carne asada recipes. The one I consider the Best Carne Asada Marinade features vinegar and citrus juice. However, the one my brother-in-law uses features Coca-Cola. Feel free to substitute Coke Zero if you’re watching your calories.

Coca-Cola Carne Asada Marinade

Serves 4 to 6 (one pound per person)

Ingredients:

4 to 6 pounds of skirt or flank steak
1 teaspoon minced garlic or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 onion, diced
1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
2 lemons, juiced (slice and keep the peels)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 can of Coke

Directions:

Mix up the ingredients, add the meat, and put in a sealed container or sealed bag for at least 24 hours in the refrigerator.
To cook, place the meat on the grill and when the juices start to rise on the surface, sprinkle with table salt. (You’re salting the meat on the grill, not while you’re marinating it.)
When the salt dissolves on the surface of the meat, flip it over and repeat on the other side. (Carne asada is supposed to be on the salty side, but don’t go nuts with the salt.)
Grill meat until well done. Remove from grill and place meat on a carving board.
Cut the meat with a sharp knife across the grain into thin strips.
Serve with warm corn tortillas, salsa, lime juice, shredded cheese, avocado slices or guacamole, chopped red onion, and lime juice.

Diet Coke picture by niallkennedy on Flickr. Carne Asada picture by Poncho Equihua on Flickr.

_________________________________
Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Coca-Cola, but Coca-Cola is not a sponsor, administrator, or involved in any other way with this post. All opinions expressed are my own and not those of Coca-Cola.

Cooking with Coca-Cola®– Coca Cola Carne Asada Marinade is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Goat Cheese Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Baby Greens and Balsamic Reduction #glutenfree #HollandHouseCW

2012-05-16T20:53:31Z

I’m crazy about balsamic vinegar reduction as a sauce on anything from roasted vegetables to fish. Drizzling it on food makes an ordinary dish burst with flavor and adds a little elegance to boot. Plus, it’s so easy to make. In this recipe, I used Holland House balsamic vinegar, brought it to a boil on the stove top, and then simmered it until it was reduced by half. Easy!

This pizza recipe is inspired by a gluten free pizza I had at Udi’s PIzza Café Bar in Arvada, Colorado and a Caramelized Onion & Fig Mini Pizza I had when I visited the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter test kitchen back in 2010.

I made this gluten free using Udi’s Gluten Free pizza crusts. If you’re not gluten free, feel free to use whatever pizza crusts you wish. Or you can make your own using my healthy whole wheat pizza dough recipe.

Goat Cheese Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Baby Greens and Balsamic Reduction

Makes 1 personal sized pizza

Serves 2 as an appetizer or 1 as an entrée

Ingredients:

2 cups Holland House balsamic vinegar
1 large onion, sliced thin
2 tablespoons low saturated fat, buttery spread
1 premade pizza crust
2 ounces goat cheese
12 ounces baby greens
2 teaspoons pine nuts

Directions:

Pour balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. (Make sure to watch carefully to avoid a messy boil over.)
Quickly reduce heat to medium low and simmer uncovered until vinegar is reduced by half and thickens slightly.
While your balsamic vinegar is reducing, heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add buttery spread to skillet to melt.
Add onions and reduce heat to medium. Slowly sauté onions until they turn slightly brown and are caramelized. Be careful not to burn onions. Reduce heat and add more buttery spread if needed. When onions are done, remove skillet from stove top and set aside.
Set oven to 425 degrees F.
Place pizza crust on a cookie sheet or pizza pan.
Using a spreader or offset spatula, spread a thin, even layer of goat cheese on pizza crust. If goat cheese is too hard to spread, put it in the microwave on high for 10 seconds to soften.
Add an even layer of baby greens on top of the goat cheese layer.
Carefully sprinkle pine nuts evenly over pizza.
Cook for 10-12 minutes until greens start to wilt and pizza crust and cheese are heated through.
Remove pizza from oven and drizzle balsamic vinegar over it. Apply a light or heavy drizzle depending on your individual taste.
Slice pizza and serve.

Note: Leftover balsamic vinegar can be stored in the fridge for a couple of weeks and reheated slightly to drizzle on vegetables, fish, chicken, beef and more!

Win a meal makeover from the Meal Makeover Moms and Holland House

Interested in getting an opportunity to talk with the Meal Makeover Moms about your mealtime challenges, have a favorite dinner recipe made over, and win a new set of cookware? If so you may want to enter the Holland House/Meal Makeover Moms Sweepstakes.

The sweepstakes is running through the beginning of June. All you need to do is go to the Holland House Facebook page, like it and then enter the contest.

_____________________
Disclosure: Mizkan, the parent company of Holland House, provided compensation for this post. All opinions are my own

Goat Cheese Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Baby Greens and Balsamic Reduction #glutenfree #HollandHouseCW is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

How to throw a seafood boil outdoor summer bash

2012-05-16T17:26:47Z

One summer bash I’ll never forget was a coworker’s crawfish boil party. Dennis and his roommates had 100 pounds of crawfish flown into Denver from Louisiana for the party and kept it in the bathroom tub on ice along with a few lobsters a few guests had brought. Each guest was asked to bring beer and $10 to share in costs.

Decorating was simple. On each newspaper draped table, there were large baguettes of French bread, butter, salt and pepper shakers, a bottle of Louisiana hot sauce, and a roll of paper towels. Once a batch was done, they would dump a mess of crawfish and corn on the tables. We’d stand around eating, pushing the used corn husks and crawfish shells to one side. Once everything was consumed, we’d gather up the newspapers, and throw the whole thing in the trash.

They used an outdoor propane burner to cook up the crawfish, and as the day went on the crawfish kept getting hotter and hotter due to the addition of more spices. We drank a lot of beer to cool off and had a great time.

If you’d like to throw a crawfish boil party, check out How to Host a Crawfish Boil Party on ehow.com for a comprehensive guide along with some tips on how to find a live crawfish delivery service online.

A campground seafood boil summer bash

Since we spend much of our summer weekends RV camping, we do a smaller version of the crawfish boil. Instead of crawfish, we buy seafood at the grocery store on the way to the campgrounds and split the purchase with friends.

We usually do this on 4th of July weekend since that’s also when we celebrate my husband’s birthday. However, we did something similar with just lobster and shrimp for my mother-in-law’s birthday. Nothing like fine dining when you’re camping!

Seafood Boil with Corn and Potatoes

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart’s Shrimp Boil with Corn and Potatoes

Serves 6

Prep time: 10 minutes Total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

4 lemons, halved
6 bay leaves
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
2 large garlic heads, halved horizontally
6 medium onions, peeled and quartered
2 dried chilies
Coarse salt
16 springs fresh thyme, tied together with kitchen twine
1 pound clams
1 pound mussels
2 pounds of new red potatoes, unpeeled, halved if large
8 ears fresh corn, shucked and broken in half
2 pounds tail on shrimp, uncooked (frozen is o.k.)
6 lobster tails, uncooked (frozen is o.k.)
Butter, hot sauce and French bread for serving

Directions:

Fill a large stockpot with 4 quarts of water. Squeeze lemons into water and add rinds.
Add bay leaves, seasoning, garlic, onions, chilies, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and thyme.
Bring to boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
Add potatoes and simmer 12 minutes.
Add corn and simmer 5 minutes.
Add shrimp, lobster, clams and mussels to pot. Cover, and simmer until lobster is opaque, about 5 minutes.
Pour off liquid and serve out of the pot.
Serve with melted butter and/or hot sauce.
Squeeze and spread the cooked garlic on French bread.
Serve the corn and potatoes with butter and salt and pepper.

Orbit® gum is a global brand, enjoyed by millions of people around the world. Chew Orbit after any meal to leave your mouth with “A Good Clean Feeling®”. Eat. Drink. Chew™ Orbit! Like us on Facebook here.

______________________
Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Orbit® gum via Glam Media but such compensation did not influence any opinions expressed herein. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Orbit® gum.

How to throw a seafood boil outdoor summer bash is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Healthy Slow Cooker Hungarian Goulash with Quinoa #secretrecipeclub #glutenfree

2012-05-13T03:46:44Z

I cannot believe we’re moving to Athens, Georgia in less than two weeks! We’re trying to cut down on the amount of stuff to pack, so the kids and I are in the process of consuming all the foodstuffs we can. That’s why I discovered one last package of venison in the freezer. Surprisingly it was stew meat, which was perfect to make Crock-Pot Hungarian Goulash from Heather of Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks blog for this month’s Secret Recipe Club assignment!

Yes, another slow cooker recipe for the Secret Recipe Club post. This is the third in a row after last month’s Healthy Slow Cooker Hoppin’ John and March’s Healthy Slow Cooker Pumpkin and Bean Chili. Hope you don’t mind, but when you have a small kitchen like I do in my temporary Boulder apartment, a slow cooker comes in handy!

I only made a few changes to Heather’s recipe. To make it gluten free, I used starch instead of flour and served it on quinoa instead of egg noodles. I also used coconut palm sugar instead of brown sugar ,, sea salt instead of regular table salt, and smoked paprika instead of regular paprika. Feel free to use whatever substitutes you wish depending on your food sensitivities and what you have on hand.

Healthy Slow Cooker Hungarian Goulash

Print
Recipe

Ingredients

2 pounds lean stew meat (beef or venison), cut into 1 inch cubes
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon corn or rice starch
2 cups cooked quinoa

Directions

Place the meat in a 5 quart slow cooker and cover with the sliced onion.
Combine the garlic, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, coconut palm sugar, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and dry mustard. Stir in the water and mix well. Then pour mixture over the meat in the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. If mixture gets dry, add more water (1/2 cup at a time).
Just before serving, remove a couple of tablespoons of liquid from the slow cooker and put into a small bowl. Add corn or rice starch and stir until dissolved. Pour starch mixture into the slow cooker and stir until goulash thickens.
Spoon goulash over quinoa and serve.

Prep Time: 15 - 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 6 - 8 Hours

Total Time: 6:15 - 8 Hours 20 Minutes

Nutrition Grade B+ from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = 8

Servings: Serves 6

Calories: 412
Calories from Fat: 46
Total Fat: 5.1g
Saturated fat: 5g
Unsaturated fat: .1g
Sodium: 681mg
Total Carbohydrates: 46.7g
Sugar: 8.5g
Fiber: 4.5g
Protein: 41.7g

More from the Secret Recipe Club!

Want to join the Secret Recipe Club? You can sign up here.

Healthy Slow Cooker Hungarian Goulash with Quinoa #secretrecipeclub #glutenfree is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

How to save more money on your favorite gluten-free and healthy foods #gfcommunity

2012-05-13T16:50:08Z

I recently started a discussion, More Ways to Save When Buying Gluten Free Foods – Buying in Bulk, at the Udi’s Gluten Free Community. Some of my tips included shopping at warehouse stores and asking for case discounts at your favorite health food store.

I also mentioned Amazon's Subscribe & Save service, and wanted to make sure you knew about it as well.

Amazon’s Subscribe & Save

With Amazon's Subscribe & Save, you can get 5 to 15% off and free shipping on automatic monthly deliveries. All you need to do is select an eligible item, choose a quantity and delivery schedule, then create your subscription. (In most cases you can choose to have deliveries every month, every two months, etc., up to once every six moths.) Easy!

Afterwards, Amazon will automatically place your orders and deliver them to you at the interval you select. You can easily change the flavor or size of an item, skip a delivery, or get an extra delivery when you need it. In addition, there are no commitments, obligations, or fees and you can cancel a subscription at any time.

I love Amazon's Subscribe & Save because it help me purchase healthy and gluten free foods that I normally buy at a better price than I get at my grocery store. For the harder to find items, I don’t have to spend time driving to far away health food stores either.

However, using Amazon's Subscribe & Save does mean that I have to buy in bulk most of the time, but that’s OK because I have the storage room to do so. If you don’t, trying going “halfsies” with a friend, coworker or family member.

Some of my favorite Subscribe & Save products

What other ways do you save on gluten free products?

How else do you save on gluten free products? Let’s discuss below at Udi’s Gluten Free Community!

__________________
Disclosure: As a Udi's Gluten Free Community Leader I'm compensated for my time and efforts on their behalf.

How to save more money on your favorite gluten-free and healthy foods #gfcommunity is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Grilled Fish Moco with Spicy Tropical Fruit Salsa

2012-05-12T21:18:26Z

When I was in Hawaii earlier this month, my husband and I had breakfast at Sam Choy’s Breakfast Lunch and Crab restaurant in Honolulu. Wanting to try local fish dishes, I chose the Fresh Catch Moco, grilled mahi mahi served in a bowl with rice with shitake mushroom gravy, grilled onions and one large farm fresh egg. (It’s the fish version of the Hawaiian loco moco, which is a hamburger patty served over rice, topped with a fried egg, grilled sweet onions and brown gravy.) I loved the idea of having fish and an egg on rice for breakfast, but this would make a great dinner entrée, too.

While I the mushroom gravy was delicious, I felt the recipe needed some healthing up, This Mama Cooks! On a Diet style. So, instead of white rice, I chose black because it’s sweet and rather dramatic looking. (If you can’t find black rice at your supermarket or local health food store, brown rice is a good substitute.)

My next step was to substitute a spicy tropical fruit salsa for the gravy. I also eliminated the grilled onions to minimize the amount of fat used in the recipe. Instead, I used just a little coconut oil to coat the fish, and kept the salt to a minimum. I kept the whole egg, but using egg whites would be a healthier option.

Finally, a note on the fish. I used cabrilla (the Mexican name for grouper or sea bass) that was given to me by a friend after his recent Mexican fishing trip. You can use any white, mild fish that grills well like snapper, mahi mahi, or tilapia.

You can find my step-by-step recipe for Grilled Fish Moco with Spicy Tropical Fruit Salsa at Foodie.com.

The Dole California Cook-Off Contest and Sweepstakes

I’ll be entering my Grilled Fish Moco with Spicy Tropical Fruit Salsa recipe in the Dole California Cook-Off Facebook Contest. My recipe used Dole Tropical Fruit in Plastic Jar. I like this product since it’s sweetened with fruit juice, not sugar. Also, it doesn’t need to be refrigerated until opened, which means you can keep a few jars in the cupboard when you need a healthy fruit snack.

If you have a grilling recipe that features a Dole product, you should enter it in the Dole California Cook-Off Facebook Contest, too! (Make sure to read the Official Rules for the recipe entry guidelines and requirements. There are some very specific rules you have to follow, so make sure to read them carefully before creating your recipe.) If you enter, you’ll have the chance to win a trip to Los Angeles where you’ll compete at The Grove in the 2012 Dole California Cook-Off judged by Celebrity Chef Ben Ford. In addition to the trip, the winning recipe contestant will also receive a cash prize of $10,000 and the two runners up will each receive a cash prize of$1,000!

If you’re not into cooking Dole California Cook-Off Facebook Sweepstakes to be a fan judge. All you need to do is enter your email address for a chance to win a trip to Los Angeles to be the Dole Fan Judge joining Chef Ben Ford and a distinguished panel of judges in crowning the winner of the 2012 Dole California Cook-Off. In addition to the trip, the sweepstakes winner will receive a cash prize of$500. (See the Official Rules here.)

Good luck!

___________________
Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Dole via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Dole.

Grilled Fish Moco with Spicy Tropical Fruit Salsa is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Results from the Ziploc Fresh Eating Survey-Denver vs. Boston {Win a FreshOver Goodie Bag} #freshover

2012-05-11T01:52:09Z

As you know, I’ve teamed up with Ziploc to encourage Americans to eat more fresh. If you are a regular reader – you’ll notice, I’m already looking for ways to put a healthy spin on my family’s favorites. Earlier this year, ZiplocBrand partnered with best-selling author and TV personality Rachael Ray for the FreshOver Project, which includes the Ziploc Fresh Eating Survey – a city-by-city snapshot of food-related choices across America with insight into a metro area’s “freshness” ranking.

The ZiplocFresh Eating Survey gives an interesting look into the most and least fresh cities across America. The top 10 “freshest cities” have residents who seek out and eat the freshest food options available, through farmer’s markets and gardening habits. The least fresh cities are where residents face obstacles to eating fresh, such as a high prevalence of fast food options and a lack of fresh food resources.

Do some of the cities surprise you, like Boston, D.C. and Minneapolis? Me, too! Plus, I was surprised not to see Denver in the top 20 let alone the top 10, so I did a little digging.

(GIVEAWAY INFO AT THE END OF THE POST!)

A closer look at the data

I wanted to compare one of the high ranking cities, Boston, with my closest metro area, Denver, which came in at No. 31. Considering that Colorado is one of the healthiest and “skinniest” states in the U.S.in my opinion, I was surprised it was so low in the freshness rankings.

Survey – What time of day are you most likely to make poor or unhealthy food choices?

Denver-Aurora, Colo.
Breakfast: 10.3 percent
Lunch: 20.7 percent
Afternoon: 25.9 percent
Dinner: 10.3 percent
Late night: 32.8 percent

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass. – N.H.
Breakfast: 10.7 percent
Lunch: 12.5 percent
Afternoon: 33.9 percent
Dinner: 14.3 percent
Late night: 28.6 percent

Amount of Farmers markets, CSAs and fast food establishments per city

Denver-Aurora, Colo. – rate per 100,000
Farmers Markets: 1.20
CSAs: 0.73
Fast Food estab: 52.4

Denver-Aurora, Colo. – total number
Farmers Markets: 31
CSAs: 19
Fast Food estab: 1355

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass. – N.H. – rate per 100,000
Farmers Markets: 2.35
CSAs: 2.15
Fast Food estab: 62.0

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass. – N.H. – total number
Farmers Markets: 107
CSAs: 98
Fast Food estab: 2822

Survey – How often do you eat foods containing fresh fruits and vegetables?

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass. – N.H.
Rarely: 5.3 percent
1-2 days weekly: 8.8 percent
3-4 days weekly: 10.5 percent
5-6 days weekly: 8.8 percent
Every day: 66.7 percent

Denver-Aurora, Colo.
Rarely: 3.4 percent
1-2 days weekly: 15.3 percent
3-4 days weekly: 11.9 percent
5-6 days weekly: 11.9 percent
Every day: 57.6 percent

Percent of residents with a garden

Denver-Aurora, Colo. - 21.1 percent

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass. – N.H. - 26.8 percent

I’m looking for more ways to incorporate fresh ingredients into my family’s meals.

Denver-Aurora, Colo.
Strongly agree: 59.6 percent
Somewhat agree: 26.9 percent
Neither agree nor disagree: 9.6 percent
Somewhat disagree: 1.9 percent
Strongly disagree: 1.9 percent

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass. – N.H.
Strongly agree: 56.6 percent
Somewhat agree: 34.0 percent
Neither agree nor disagree: 7.5 percent
Somewhat disagree: 0.0 percent
Strongly disagree: 1.9 percent

I feel like a good parent when my family eats fresh food

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass. – N.H.
81.1 percent: Strongly agree
10.8 percent: Somewhat agree
8.1 percent: Neither agree nor disagree
0.0 percent: Somewhat disagree
0.0 percent: Strongly disagree

Denver-Aurora, Colo.
80.0 percent: Strongly agree
11.1 percent: Somewhat agree
6.7 percent: Neither agree nor disagree
0.0 percent: Somewhat disagree
2.2 percent: Strongly disagree

Some quick conclusions

In Ziploc’s analysis, the categories were assigned the following weights, indicating the relative importance of each category:

Greater weight – Fruit and vegetable servings and percent with a vegetable garden
Medium weight – Farmers markets
Lesser weight – Eats fresh fruits and vegetables, wants to use more fresh ingredients, presence of CSAs, and presence of fast food establishments

Boston’s and Denver’s numbers were fairly close except for How often do you eat foods containing fresh fruits and vegetables? According to the survey, Boston eats more vegetables. I guess all the tomatoes served in Boston’s North End and the potatoes in the clam chowder count for something, right? (I’m being sarcastic. Well, a little.)

Still, results would be very different if they used the Boulder/Denver metro area instead of Aurora/Denver. The results would have been “fresher” as we all know how vegetarian and vegan friendly Boulder, Colo. is. Boulderites love their community gardens, locally sourced food, farmer’s markets, organic produce, and healthy grocery stores, for sure!

Win a Ziploc FreshOver Goodie Bag (value $130)!

Recently several of the FreshOver Insider 5 bloggers attended a FreshOver event in New York with Rachael Ray. (You can watch a video recap here.) I’m giving away another Ziploc prize pack complete with a cooking wok, garlic press and other cooking utensils, a bottle of Terra Medi Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a box of Ziploc Perfect Portions bags, a Ziploc VersaGlass container, and assorted other products in a Baggu bag.

How to enter to win a Ziploc FreshOver Event Good Bag (value $130):

In the comments below, tell me your favorite way to make a meal fresh (adding vegetables or fruits, etc.).
Sign up for This Mama Cooks! Review’s RSS feed for ONE additional entry.
Sign up for my enewsletter for ONE additional entry.
Spread the word about this giveaway by submitting a link to this post on Twitter for ONE additional entry. You must leave a link to your tweet in your comment so I can check.
Follow @amnichols on Twitter for ONE additional entry.

If you have done any of these additional activities you MUST come back here and leave a comment telling me what you did. I will be checking!

Giveaway starts on May 10, 2012 at noon PST and ends on May 17, 2012 at 5 p.m. PST

Click here for the Ziploc Giveaway Official Rules

___________________
Disclosure: I have partnered with Ziploc^® and am being compensated for my posts. However, my opinions on the product are my own.

Results from the Ziploc Fresh Eating Survey-Denver vs. Boston {Win a FreshOver Goodie Bag} #freshover is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Learn how to eat healthy on a budget at the LiveWell Colorado Twitter chat on May 17 #HealthyCO

2012-05-09T20:57:34Z

When I ask people why they aren’t eating healthy foods, usually the first thing I hear is that it’s too expensive to do. That’s why I’m hosting a Twitter chat about Eating Healthy on a Budget on Thursday, May 17 at 8 PM MT with experts from LiveWell Colorado.

We’ll be sharing:

Myths and facts about eating healthier
Tips for making better choices at the supermarket
Money-saving hints for family meals
Budget-friendly recipe suggestions to put these new ideas into practice

Join the chat by following the hashtag #HealthyCO and make sure to follow @amnichols (that’s me!) and @LIveWellCO.

RSVP for the #HealthyCO chat and get a free entrée from Qdoba!

If you RSVP here in advance (and provide your mailing address) you’ll receive a Qdoba Rewards Card with one free entrée from the #HealthyCO Twitter Chat sponsor, Qdoba Mexican Grill.

We’ll also be giving away healthy prizes, such as yoga mats, courtesy of LiveWell Colorado, to those participating in the chat. Hope to see you there!

_________________________
Disclosure: As a chat host, I’m compensated for my time and efforts on LiveWell Colorado’s behalf.

Learn how to eat healthy on a budget at the LiveWell Colorado Twitter chat on May 17 #HealthyCO is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

A Hawaiian seafood adventure with Sea Cuisine

2012-05-09T21:14:22Z

Earlier this month, Sea Cuisine sent me to Honolulu, Hawaii to report on the local seafood scene. You can see my reviews of local restaurants, read about my visit to the Honolulu Seafood Auction, and what I thought about a real Hawaiian luau here.

I had a great time and I hope you enjoy reading about it. Make sure to check out my pictures and leave some comments on my posts, too!

While you’re on the Sea Cuisine website, make sure you check out where they’re sending other bloggers – Baja Mexico, New Orleans, Key West, Thailand, Spain and more. Also, check out this video of the Hawaii-inspired recipe for Macadamia Nut Tilapia with Grilled Fruit and Vegetables that Sea Cuisine created based on my adventures.

_________________
Disclosure: Sea Cuisine sponsored my trip to Hawaii.

A Hawaiian seafood adventure with Sea Cuisine is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Mother’s Day Brunch: Guaca Mary cocktail

2012-05-09T14:36:35Z

For Mother’s Day, change things up by making mom a South of the Border twist on the classic Bloody Mary – a Guaca Mary. This drink combines nutritious avocados, with grapes, Mexican spices, peppers, and coconut water. You can serve it as a mocktail or add some vodka or tequila for a full blown cocktail.

This recipe was created by Chef Ina Pinkney of Ina’s Restaurant in Chicago for Avocados from Mexico. Check out Avocados from Mexico’s website for more recipes that would be terrific for a Mother’s Day brunch like Avocado Poached Egg with Diablo Sauce, Avocado Pineapple Smoothie, and Bacon, Egg and Avocado Breakfast Sandwich.

Guaca Mary

Yield: 4 portions (5-1/3 cups plus tequila or vodka)

Ingredients:

Kosher salt
2 teaspoons grated lime rind
1/2 cup lime juice, divided
2 cups peeled, cubed cucumber
1 fully ripened avocado from Mexico, halved, pitted, peeled and sliced
1 cup raw cubed tomatillos
1 cup halved seedless green grapes
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
1 whole seeded fresh Serrano pepper
1 teaspoon celery salt
6 dashes green hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-1/3 cups unsweetened coconut water
Tequila or vodka, optional
Avocados slices, grape tomatoes and pickled onions, optional garnish

Directions:

On a small flat plate, stir together 3 tablespoons salt and the lime rind. Set aside.
Pour 1/4 cup of the lime juice into a shallow bowl and set aside.
In a blender, combine cucumber, avocado, tomatillos, grapes, cilantro, Serrano pepper, remaining 1/4 cup lime juice, celery salt, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, the hot sauce and black pepper. Whirl until smooth - mixture will be slightly thick.
Transfer to a 2-quart pitcher and stir in coconut water.
Add tequila or vodka to taste, if desired.
To serve, dip glass rim in reserved lime juice, then into salt and lime rind mixture. Add ice and fill with Guaca Mary. Thread avocado, grape tomatoes and pickled onions onto toothpick or skewer for garnish, if desired.

Picture and recipe courtesy of Avocados from Mexico.

Mother’s Day Brunch: Guaca Mary cocktail is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!